pinkingirons

I actually have a mallet die from Texas Custom Dies. Great product, great price, and fast delivery. When I inquired about a die with the pinked edges they said the pinked edge steel they had was not the right size and it would be too expensive to make from scratch. I later got two quotes from other die makers...$675 and $1000+.

I did think about using a piece of galvanized pipe, but a 1" pipe has an outer diameter over 1 1/8" and a 3/4" pipe has an outer diameter under 1 1/8". I don't have a metal lathe to reduce the diameter down to 1 1/8" and I'm not sure if there is something similar I could use. If any toolmakers are reading this and want to try to make me one, please speak up! I've attached a photo of the piece of leather I cut out of with the 1" pinking iron I just sold on ebay. The teeth were close, but I needed a 1 1/8" not a 1". I luckily found a 1 1/8", but the teeth are bigger. Also in the photo is what I'm trying to make. Thanks everyone for the responses.

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I uploaded a photo of what I'm trying to do. Can I take the arch punch in #1 and grind half off to a half round punch ( #2 more or less), then cut down to expose the thicker portion of the tool in #3, and finally use some files to convert it to a pinking iron (#4)? I need a specific size of pinking iron, 1 1/8". I have one but the teeth are too large for what I'm trying to reproduce. I know the odds of finding the exact size tool I need are close to zero. Thanks for any input anyone might have.

This rosette cutter sold on ebay not too long ago. I would like to make a tool similar to this. Would an arch punch be thick enough after grinding flat that teeth could be cut in using a file? (I don't own an arch punch nor have I ever seen one in person.) Another idea I had was to use a piece of galvanized steel pipe, but I am not sure if it would be hard enough or have to be hardened by heat treatment. Thanks for any input anyone might have.